


(Raise a) Glass to Reunion

by Ember_Eyes_are_for_Tigers



Series: Chronicles of a Heartbroken Few [8]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Original Work
Genre: Canon Compliant, Family Feels, Gen, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scene, Sibling Bonding, also everyone knows sal has a crush on alye except sal and alye, we'll be fixing this family if you want it or not, which I didn't do because it's hell to rp with yourself, which is best trope tm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:55:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27177505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ember_Eyes_are_for_Tigers/pseuds/Ember_Eyes_are_for_Tigers
Summary: As the party brainstorms on how to find James and how to continue on their journey, on the other side of the Silver Eye stronghold, Sal and Tamila are having a much needed discussion.
Relationships: Delearys of Aderyn & Sal Devon Archibald Van Dolion of Musicals, Tamila Devon & Sal Devon Archibald Van Dolion of Musicals
Series: Chronicles of a Heartbroken Few [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1607527
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	(Raise a) Glass to Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> I was going through a writer's block before writing this, and then I just sat down with so much inspiration and motivation flowing through me and I ended up writing this in four hours and I'm impressed. I hope you can enjoy!   
> It's not the longest of my works or even one I'm the most proud of, but, I'm so proud that I was able to finish this before the DnD session tomorrow- anyway, Sal is far more messed up than he lets on and so is Tamila, because they've had hell lives and they deserve to at least have each other
> 
> Sal and Tamila are my characters, while Delearys is my friend @pailette.hazel's character

The door closed behind him and Sal feels the pit in his stomach grow, seemingly encompassing everything. 

His hands are shaking, ever so slightly, as he continues observing Tamila before him. His sister. 

It’s hard to wrap his mind around her being alive and being in front of him, powerful and clearly not regretting having walked away from him all those years ago. But, lately, there are many things that are hard to wrap his mind around, and Tamila is only the peak of the iceberg.

He knows he should speak up, however, his companions' footsteps can still be heard together with their whispered chatter and his mind is blank. No thoughts and no words only dread and old fears bubbling up once again.

It takes for the footsteps to quieten down in the deafening silence of the fortress before Tamila stands up and asks:

“Want a drink?”

“Sure,”

Tamila raised an eyebrow, placing on the table two glasses and a transparent bottle, it’s golden liquid bright, even in the dim light of the study. Pouring the bottle’s golden content in her glass, she said:

“Not even asking what drink it is?” she smirked, sitting back in her chair and taking a sip of her drink, “Could be poison for all you know,”

Sal shrugged, pouring himself a glass, “Wouldn’t make sense for you to kill me now,”

“Is that so? Are you now a mastermind criminal?”

He snorted, “Definitely not, I believe crime is your field of expertise, not mine. You could have killed me countless times before this moment, since you’ve been stalking me for the past… what? Ten years?”

Silence fell heavy as the blanket of snow coating the ground outside, thick but warm in the dim lit study, where rows of books and ancient arcane tomes filled the tall walls up towards the ceiling. It seemed Tamila had been keeping herself busy becoming a book collector, might have been the reason why she had never even sent a letter as proof of her still being alive.

“Ever since you returned to Goldenrose after you had your fun creating chaos around the world, yes,”

If she looked guilty she didn’t show it, leaning in the rich red seat and holding her glass, observing her brother as if he was the most intriguing puzzle she had met all month. Or so Sal could only guess, her very appearance was as much of a mask as the ones the people who worked for her wore. 

“How have you been in these past couple of years?”

“Wouldn’t you already know?”

Tamila took another sip, before answering:

“I only know the bare minimum of what happened in all these years, I wouldn't want for someone with ill intents to discover that you exist by being sloppy and trying to gather all the more information,” Sal swallowed some more of the liquid, feeling it’s warmth go down, burning, through his dry throat.

“Besides, after you finished school you disappeared, only popping up every once in a while in a seemingly random city. It was rather hard to pin you down at the time, not even my predecessor was able to scrounge many news. Although, it didn’t take long to link all the murders and thefts to your appearance,” she shrugged.

“Ah, yeah… wasn’t really expecting anyone to be keeping an eye so close to the records, not that I really had a choice, I was just dragged around without a say on the matter. There should be some records from the law enforcements I sold them to,”

Tamila nodded, “I did read the records and- well, my predecessor didn’t want to lose me out of his sight, so I unfortunately couldn’t go and beat the shit out of those… old friends of yours,”

“Your predecessor? Should I ask if you killed him or is that a stupid question?”

She smiled, before taking another gulp of the beverage, “You’d be surprised at how many people think I could have killed the man I considered my father. But, no, I didn’t,”

“And, yet you were still able to become the head of the organization?”

Tamila moved her hand in sign of dismissal, “There was a void of power and while his closest workers were fighting over who would take control of the group, I took the chance to take over, so to speak. I was his protected, the one who was supposed to take over no matter what those old men thought or said. And, when I did, I turned it into what this organization now is, in all of it’s glory and splendor,” 

“Impressed, but, not surprised,” commented Sal, before filling his now empty glass.

“Is that so?”

“Absolutely, I wouldn't have expected any less from you. You were always the one that saw the bigger picture and had the skill and the ambition to succeed. Nevertheless, as a consequence you end up hurting others,” 

The relaxed expression on Tamila’s face melted away, her lips pressing together and her gaze slipping from her brother to the glass she was holding in her hands.

“I really didn’t mean to hurt you, it felt like the only option at the time-”

“But, you still ended up doing it-”

“Well, obviously or we wouldn’t even be here to discuss this. What do you want me to say? That I was a dumb kid? Of course I was, who isn’t?” Sal opened his mouth to speak, but, she stopped him before he could utter a word;

“And, don’t say yourself because we both know that your criminal record exists and is far more tangible than mine,” she got up, filling her glass, and Sal followed suit as he said:

“Using my criminal record as an example of me being a dumb kid sounds pretty ironic coming from the head of the most famous criminal organization,”

“Perhaps. But, I’m not the one that disappeared for over five years and might have been dead because I decided to be around the wrong people and then returned to Goldenrose as if nothing had happened and then proceeded going down a path of constant self destruction and-”

“Oh,  _ excuse me _ , I didn’t know you were  _ fucking alive _ , maybe if you had written a letter or something.  _ Anything _ , really-”

“I  _ couldn’t  _ and I told you why. Aeneas had me locked in, training me constantly, I didn’t have a say on  _ anything _ . Have you any idea how that was?”

“Actually, I  _ do _ . It seems like I wasn’t the only one that made the wrong choices of friends-”

The door behind him knocked and soon the door opened, revealing Delearys, hair slightly disheveled as if she had been worryingly passing her hand through it, and still wearing pieces of her armour, as if ready to be jumped on and have to fight for her life. 

Sal lets himself fall back in his chair, listening as Tamila offers her a glass and Delearys declines. 

“I wanted to ask when you were intending to come to bed?”

Sal offered her a smile, which he hoped was reassuring. The entire group was far more on edge than him to spend the night in the castle, he only hoped they could forgive him for having pressed on their residence for the night. “I’ll probably stay here for a bit more, we still have matters do discuss,”

He then returned to his sister, adding: “Also, we are  _ not _ sleeping together,”

Tamila smiled, her red lipstick looking far more pronounced than before, “Must admit, I’m glad to hear that,”

Sal suppressed a groan at that, before bidding Delearys a goodnight and hearing the door close back behind her. 

When her footsteps had disappeared, drowned in the noiseless night, Tamila sat back down, her face returning to a more relaxed mask as she said:

“Your new choice of friends, however, looks rather lovely,” 

This time Sal didn’t stop himself from groaning, “Please, do not flirt with Delearys or Faerryn, especially the latter, she’s already in a relationship. Not that either would understand your flirting, they’re as oblivious as bricks,”

“I was intrigued by your Paladin friend, looks rather dashing. But, do say more,”

“Delearys is even worse than Faerryn when talking about being oblivious. She’s incredibly repressed and a complete disaster, worse than me. And-” he sighed, “she’s… my best friend? I think. Her and Alye are… they’re great,”

Tamila nodded, taking a sip of her drink, but her eyes not meeting her brother’s.

“How are you holding up?”

“I- I have the Silver Eye, and if you mean on a personal level, I have a couple of nightstands every once in a while,”

Sal found himself nodding, words disappearing in his throat.

“Now, if… If you find yourself lonely you can write me a letter or two, now that I know you’re alive. And, besides, people have to quit thinking that I can’t hold myself in a fight, I’m an adventurer for a reason,”

She remained quiet, drinking from her glass, before answering:

“Hadn’t thought about it in that perspective, but, I must admit you have a point,”

“About me being a damn good adventurer or about being able to write letters from each other from this point forward?

She grinned, “I guess both,”

He rolled his eyes, “Of course,” he took another gulp, the liquid not feeling like it burned quite as much, and remained quiet. Letting the scene slowly sink into his mind, trying to remember and preserving it.

“I’m glad that I’m here,”

“Oh? Is it for knowing that I was alive and still haven’t outright spoken to you in over ten years or is it for discovering that one of your friends has been for who knows how long a badly done magical copy?”

“We already knew there was something off with Cornelius or, James? We just didn’t know what and now that we do… I guess, also, thank you for telling us,”

Tamila nodded absentmindedly, “My pleasure. Besides, whatever throws a wrench in Eriaki’s plans I’m all for it,”

Sal grinned, before downing the rest of his drink.

“I’m glad you came,” murmured Tamila and Sal quietened, observing her.

She sighed, “I must admit I wasn’t expecting you to come, rather scared of you doing so. Especially when you were bringing all your friends. Nevertheless, I’m glad you came, it’s-”

“Good?”

Tamila wrinkled her nose, “Not the word I was searching for, but, that may as well do,”

Silence fell once again, and Sal found himself filling his and his sister’s glass once again, mind looking back through all they had just said. And, then, quietly, once he had sat back in his seat and taken another sip, he murmured:

“I guess our mistakes made us better. You find yourself in a prestigious position and I… I have someone who would take a backstab for me as much as I would do for them,”

“I don’t think I agree. Our mistakes have hurt us and we didn’t learn from the pain but from the kindness we were shown in those moments. You stopped some of your self destructive tendencies and learnt how to have a team and I-” she smiled, leaning back on her seat, “I got in this position because I’m far smarter and more powerful than everyone in this castle. I deserve this place,”

“You sure do,” 

They drank and once Sal’s glass was close to empty Tamila said:

“You should probably go back to sleep. Although, I didn’t know if you wanted to sleep with that friend of yours or not, so, I may have given you separate rooms,”

Sal raised an eyebrow, “You mean Delearys?”

“Oh no, your friend Alye Crysalker, the diplomat,”

“Ah,” Sal finished his drink, ignore his ears reddening, “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, dear sister,”

“Of course I don’t. However, next time, if you bring him along I’ll try and remember to assign you the same room,”

“If I’ll survive. Although, I doubt I’ll bring him along,” said Sal getting up to his feet.

“Only time will tell and if you’re as much of a great adventurer as you say yourself to be, I don’t doubt you’ll survive,”

With a last grin Sal began walking towards the door, as it opened before him, he turned.

“Go to sleep soon, alright?”

“I can’t make any promises, but, I’ll retire to bed soon enough. Don’t worry,”

Sal didn’t correct her to tell her he wasn’t worrying, there was no real reason to. However, with that last bid, he walked across the threshold, letting the door close behind him and was met with the dark and cold corridors of the Silver Eye stronghold.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed please remember to leave a kudos and a comment (I thrive on appreciation and compliments)


End file.
